🏈 Question for UAgrad93 and Terry

[rammerjammer]

With all the all the coaching hires and admins wanting the new coaches to keep staff members. Golesh with Durkin........Freeze having to keep Caddilac, etc

Got me to thinking to when Stallings was hired back in 90. Was Brother Oliver thrust upon him like what we are seeing today with coaches? I know there was respect there for those two, but from bits and pieces I heard over the years I don't think there was any love loss between them. Did they get along?

I remember before Finebaum made it big (still on AM radio at the time) he had a pretty candid interview with Brother during the "off-season". He discussed a number of topics, but one of the things he went over was the fact that Stallings and Hootie both seemed to dangle the carrot in front of him that he would get the HC job when Stallings retired. After the NCAA violations and Hootie stepped down, I think that ship sailed for Oliver. Oliver stated that he got tired of waiting and that was when he decided to retire. Tiny Terry caught wind of it and we know how that turned out. In that interview he said his asking price was that Auburn buy out his retirement time from his days at Clemson to roll into his Alabama retirement.

On a side note Spurrier was pissed that he didn't land Brother. He called him after he accepted the deal to Auburn and tried to get him to come to UF. Oliver said he already gave his word and would not go back on his word. I think the retirement was a tipping point. That gave him over 25 years in the Alabama education system. I know he retired on Lake Martin and played a lot of golf.

 

[TerryP]

Got me to thinking to when Stallings was hired back in 90. Was Brother Oliver thrust upon him like what we are seeing today with coaches? I know there was respect there for those two, but from bits and pieces I heard over the years I don't think there was any love loss between them. Did they get along?

The animosity came later in Stallings career at Bama.

You have me thinking, Doug, because we're talking about a lot happening in a short period. CBO was with Danny Ford at Clemson. Danny announced he was resigning in Jan. of 1990. As I recall, it was pretty much a given at that point: a matter of when, not if with Ford. CBO was DB/DC at Clemson. Stallings brought him in as DB in '90.

To answer this part in a round about way. The only time I can remember seeing a DB coach forced upon a new hire was when the DB coach was also the recruiting coordinator. That happened with Corey Raymond at LSU. In today's climate, I have a hard time seeing a DB coach being forced upon a new head coach. A DC or OC? Yeah, we're seeing that. A position coach? I don't recall one.

So, let's go back to 1990. Do you see Stallings being forced to hire a defensive back coach? (Remember, he didn't get the DC title, officially, until '93 even though he was the 'de-facto' DC for much of '92.

 

[TerryP]

I remember before Finebaum made it big (still on AM radio at the time) he had a pretty candid interview with Brother during the "off-season". He discussed a number of topics, but one of the things he went over was the fact that Stallings and Hootie both seemed to dangle the carrot in front of him that he would get the HC job when Stallings retired. After the NCAA violations and Hootie stepped down, I think that ship sailed for Oliver. Oliver stated that he got tired of waiting and that was when he decided to retire. Tiny Terry caught wind of it and we know how that turned out. In that interview he said his asking price was that Auburn buy out his retirement time from his days at Clemson to roll into his Alabama retirement.

At this point in Oliver's life I saw a man full of a lot of resentment; both towards Coach Stallings and Coach Ingram. A lot of holes in his story in my view. I remember thinking back then how he was at Auburn in '95, Stallings resigned at the end of '96, and I was left wondering "when was this carrot dangled?"

I never spoke with him or was around him post '95. It was my impression hearing and seeing him on TV after that ... a bitter man.

 

[TerryP]

On a side note Spurrier was pissed that he didn't land Brother.

For the off-season...

"Things Spurrier didn't get pissed off about in the '90's at Florida."

Except, you can't name the Britt's dog. It was the Britt's dog he tried to kick away on a visit, wasn't it?

 

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

As I recall 1990 assistant coach hiring, Bama was going to hire Bill or Mickey Andrews (both at Clemson) but not both. Both guys were great coaches. Mickey was an assistant to Coach Higginbotham at Livingston when I played in 68. Mickey was just a great guy and born to coach football.

 

[TerryP]

As I recall 1990 assistant coach hiring, Bama was going to hire Bill or Mickey Andrews (both at Clemson) but not both.

Andrews was already the DC at FSU in '90. He wasn't being considered for a DB coaching position.

 

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

Andrews was already the DC at FSU in '90. He wasn't being considered for a DB coaching position.

He was being considered as the DC along with Brother. One or the other but not both on the staff.

 

[TerryP]

He was being considered as the DC along with Brother. One or the other but not both on the staff.

CBO was hired as the defensive back coach. Stallings was the "DC" at that point. There was no DC position on the staff.

DuBose came in '90 as DL. Ellis Johnson had the OLB's. Rouzie had ILB's, and Oliver had the secondary.

 

[rammerjammer]

I didn't realize that Stallings was defact-o DC and Oliver didn't get the title till 93.

 

[UAgrad93]

I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t see it during my short time there. I do know that Stallings kept Coach Jimmy Fuller as OL coach from the previous staff. Coach Fuller had recruited me while on Curry’s staff l, so we were pretty tight. I do recall going from Homer Smith to Mal Moore and I hated it. I guess because I was on the offensive side, I really didn’t pay that close attention to the defense.